Nightmares
by Dylan Ryder
Summary: John attempts to comfort Charlie after she has a nightmare about...them.


* Don't Read if you haven't read _The Silver Eyes_, book one of Scott Cawthon's _Five Nights at Freddy's _Novel series. I don't own any of the characters used.*

Charlie bolted upright and looked around frantically. She didn't know where she was. Her breathing was quick and agitated. She forced herself to take a deep breath. She looked up. Blinding white light forced her to shield her eyes and look away again. She tried to stand but flaring pain in her leg prevented her from going anywhere.

She slowly felt down her leg until she found the deep gash just below her knee on the back of her leg. _Foxy's hook, _she remembered. Her face turned white. _Foxy. The animatronics. Oh, God…_ She stood slowly, gritting her teeth in pain. The bright light from above her made it difficult to see, but she knew where she was. The show stage's wooden boards creaked beneath her feet as she struggled forward.

Charlie strained her eyes, trying to see out into the dark dining hall in front of her. She stepped forward again, and her eyes widened when her foot met nothing but air. She stumbled over the edge of the stage and hit the ground, crying out in pain. She looked down at her leg. The blood had soaked through her jeans, leaving a large red stain.

She stood slowly, blinking away tears. She could barely see the room around her. She could make out the rows of tables, all lined with plates and hats for a party that would never happen. Drawings of the animatronics with smiling children still lined the walls. They almost seemed to be staring at Charlie now. She turned and stumbled to the door in the side of the stage.

"John? Jessica?" She called frantically as she pulled open the door. The control room for Freddy and his friends lay dark and empty. Charlie turned and limped quickly down the closest hallway. She reached the storage room on the far end and shoved the door open, closing it behind her. She looked around nervously, and that's when she saw the body.

Carlton was lying face down, once again trapped in the torso of a random animatronic. Charlie nearly fell running over to him. She knelt, ignoring the pain in her leg. "Carlton? It's Charlie. Carlton!" She put her hands on the torso to turn him over, but pulled them back when she felt it's fur. The torso was wet and sticky. Charlie looked down at her hands. They were soaked with blood.

She looked back at Carlton, and noticed for the first time the metal rods. There was one on each side of his neck, jutting wildly into his throat. Charlie turned and covered her mouth to avoid vomiting. _The spring locks…._Suddenly she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She stood quickly and looked over at the wall. The Golden Freddy suit still hung limply on a hook. She looked away, and then back. Bonnie was suddenly there, staring coldly back at her. The Golden suit was gone.

Charlie screamed and ran back through the dining hall and down the hallway to pirate's cove. She ran straight into the door to the control room and it flew open. She shut the door and whirled around. Sitting against the far wall was Marla, Jason, and Lamar. Blood was streaked all around and on them. They were covered in large cuts and bruises.

"No…." Charlie whispered. She ran over and felt Marla's hand. She was cold. Lamar and Jason were the same. Charlie turned and ran out of the control room. On the Pirate's Cove stage, the curtain ruffled. Charlie backed slowly toward the door. Suddenly the worn red curtain began to draw back slowly. Charlie took another step backward. Two eyes were now visible in the shadows behind the open curtain. Their silver glint stared blankly at Charlie, unwavering.

Foxy stepped forward and his body came into view, his red fur matted and torn, metal and wires exposed in patches on his arms and torso. His jaw was locked in an eternal grin. Charlie turned and bolted without a second thought. The pain in her leg panged with every step, and she bit her lip to avoid screaming. She burst into the dining hall once again, and stopped dead.

In the middle of the room, Freddy and Chica were bent over the bodies of Jessica and John, their limbs bent and contorted at awkward angles, all bloody and ripped apart. Tears were now rolling down Charlie's cheeks. Chica and Freddy whirled to face her in one fluid, humanlike motion, sending chills down her spine. She turned to run, but two hands grabbed her neck before she could.

Dave, the night guard, was holding her in the air by her throat. He was still in the golden bunny suit, it's right ear cut off just above his head. All Charlie could see of Dave was his eyes, cold and calculating. She punched and kicked at him frantically but he lifted her higher, squeezing down on her throat.

She vaguely noticed the other animatronics standing in a circle around them. In a final, desperate effort, Charlie reached for the springlocks in the suit's neck, but she yanked her hands back when she felt his neck. _The springlocks...they've already been triggered…._ She locked eyes with Dave again and noticed something else this time.

What looked like blood and other bodily fluids Charlie didn't even want to think about were oozing out of the costume's eye sockets. She looked down. The same thing was happening all over his body. There was a pool of blood forming at his feet. "No! What are you!?" Charlie gasped. Dave squeezed down on her throat once more. Charlie barely had time to register the snapping noise before the world went black.

Charlie awoke with a cry. Instinctively, her hands went to her throat. _No hands. _She thought hazily. She sat up and looked around wildly. Slowly, reality came back to her. _I'm at Carlton's. It was just a dream, _She tried to reassure herself, but she still felt uneasy.

She stood unsteadily, turning on the lamp beside the bed. She went quickly to the window. Outside, the night air gently shook the trees surrounding the house. It was still dark. She opened the window and felt the cool breeze on her face. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself, but she couldn't shake the feeling of Dave's hands on her neck.

Charlie whirled around when her door suddenly swung open. John stood in the doorway, a concerned look on his face. Jessica and Marla were behind him. _Oh no. I woke everyone up. _Before she could apologize, John turned to the others. "Go back to bed guys." Jessica started to argue, then turned and hurried Marla down the hall.

John stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Charlie pulled the window closed and sat on her bed. John came up next to her and sat down gently. "Are you okay?" Charlie stared at the wall. "I'm fine. I'm sorry if I woke you." She said. John placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, and you're not fine. You can talk to me."

Charlie heaved a sigh. "I had a nightmare. You were all dead….and that maniac Dave, or William, or whatever his name is….he…." She couldn't bring herself to admit what happened out loud. Tears welled up in her eyes. John put his arms around her and she sobbed into his chest. He held her like that for a long time. "It's okay," he said softly. "It's all over. He's gone." Charlie wiped her eyes and looked up at him.

She'd been trying to ignore it since she'd first seen him two days ago, but she still felt something for him. Even though they had only been seven when she'd last seen him, there had always been something there. She just didn't want to admit it. She steadied her breathing. "I never thanked you. For being there so many times. At the diner, and my old house…." She didn't know what else to say.

John smiled at her. "Don't. I'm always here for you Charlie." Now Charlie smiled. John slowly pulled his arms back and stood. "You should try to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." Charlie sighed. "Okay. Goodnight John." She said. "Goodnight Charlie." John said, and started for the door.

All at once, fear crept up inside Charlie. "Wait!" She said, a little too loud. John turned around quickly. "What's wrong?" He said, concern in his voice. Charlie's hands were shaking. "Could you….could you stay with me? I don't want to be alone." She instantly regretted asking. _He probably wants to sleep in his own bed. _"Of course." He said, returning to the bed. "Do you...do you want me to sleep on the floor?"

Charlie laughed out loud. John smiled sheepishly. "Okay, okay. I just didn't want to push it." He slowly climbed into bed next to Charlie, careful to leave space between them. Charlie leaned over and shut off the light. "Goodnight...Charlotte." John said. Charlie smiled. "You haven't called me that since the day I left Hurricane." She said.

"I missed you so much." He admitted. Slowly, she scooted closer, curling up against him and taking in his warmth. John's arm wrapped around her and she snuggled up to him, resting her head on his chest. John leaned down and kissed Charlie's forehead, making her smile. Suddenly, Charlie wasn't so afraid anymore.


End file.
